Writing with Semantic Argument or Statistics Essay

Writing with Semantic Argument or Statistics - Essay Example Never mind the content, TV cartoons are the cheaper alternative to hiring a baby-sitter and is the safest way to keep even a hyperactive toddler distracted. Or so parents generally believed. But this rather cavalier attitude parents have towards their very young children watching TV cartoons – of any and all sorts – have pediatric experts worried; studies have shown that TV cartoons may be to blame about the increasingly antisocial tendencies of children even at a young age, attitudes that they may carry with them into adulthood. Could TV cartoons really be as bad an influence? One way to determine the influence of TV cartoons is to look at the statistics. TV sets may be the most common feature among American households; about 99% percent of homes are not without their own TV sets as television programming are the cheapest and most convenient way to be entertained and informed. The average child watches up to two hours of TV cartoons each day (Center for Communication and Social Policy, University of California, Santa Barbara [UCSB], 1998) and some even as much as 28 hours of cartoons each week (Beresin, n.d.). But what is more alarming about this fact is not the quantity of TV time but the quality of the program. Studies revealed that shows that target the very young audiences contain twice as many violent acts as other programs; furthermore, Saturday morning cartoons have been recorded to contain as much as 20 to 25 violent incidents per hour compared to 3 to 5 violent incidents found in prime-time TV (American Academy of Pediatrics [AAP], 1995). Not all TV cartoons feature this rather stunning amount of violence. A recent study conducted to determine the effects of violence in media on children’s anti-social behavior was conducted by Drs. Christakis and Zimmerman in 2007. They classified TV programs that target the young audiences into three categories: violent programming,

Poverty in the UK Essay Example for Free

Poverty in the UK Essay In 1886, Charles Booth investigated the extent of poverty in London. His was the first systematic sociological study of poverty in the UK. The results, presented in 1902-3, documented the living and working condition of the London poor. Adopting a relative approach to poverty — which was defined as the inability to meet the usual standard of life — Booth estimated that the level at which poverty set in for a family of two adults and three children was 21 shillings per week (? 1. 05 today). Booth estimated that 30. 7 per cent of Londons total population were in poverty. Around the same time, adopting an absolute perspective on poverty, Seebohm Rowntree investigated the state of the poor in the city of York in 1899. He highlighted the minimum standard of living which fulfilled peoples biological needs for food, water, clothing and shelter. This is also referred to as the subsistence level. Rowntree subsequently drew up a list of those minimum personal and household necessities required for survival and established two categories of poverty. Primary poverty is when the person is unable to acquire the minimum necessitates, secondary poverty is when a portion of the persons total earnings is absorbed by other useful or wasteful expenditure such that it is not possible to maintain the minimum standard. Poverty can be defined in several ways, Booth took a relative approach and Rowntree took an absolute approach. In the post-war era, there has been a more pronounced shift from viewing poverty as predominantly a monetary and economic phenomenon to regarding and acknowledging its more qualitative and subjective aspects. By the end of the 1950s, the period of rationing and shortages was over and, with almost full employment, the UK seemed ‘never to have had it so good’. Yet, by the 1960s, a number of social policy academics close to the Labour Party (such as Tawney and Townsend) raised the issue of the continuing existence of poverty in a period of greater prosperity. Townsend questioned absolute definitions of poverty (such as those of Rowntree) which were outdated and failed to take account of the problems some people had in fully participating in society. Townsends definitive work on poverty in the UK in 1979 (Townsend 1992) went beyond an absolute definition based on physical needs, to view poverty in relation to a generally accepted standard of living, in a specific society, at a particular time. Individuals can be said to be in poverty when they lack the resources to obtain the types of diet, participate in the activities and have the living conditions and amenities which are customary, or at least widely encouraged and approved, in the societies which they belong. (p. 31) Townsend suggested a definition that was closer in tune to the concept of citizenship — poverty constituted a lack of resources that would enable a person to able to participate in the normal expectations and customs of a society. This kind of definition also would imply that the indicators of poverty can change over time in order to embrace changes in society. In the 1960s, Townsend used the example of not being able to afford a proper Sunday lunch as an indicator of poverty. The idea of a Sunday roast meal might not be so relevant today because of changes in family life and the way people gather together, and therefore is not so much an integral aspect of what people can be expected to do normally. On the other hand, Townsends indicator of giving presents to near members of the family for birthdays or Christmas still holds. In his 1979 work, Townsend identified twelve items he believed were be relevant to the whole population, and gave each household surveyed a score on a deprivation index. The higher the score, the more deprived was the household. Townsend calculated that 22. 9 per cent of the population fell under the threshold of deprivation (Giddens 2006). When talking about poverty, researchers usually base their work on measures of deprivation rather than the identification of poverty by itself. The existence of deprivation is taken as a surrogate for the existence of poverty. People are said to be deprived materially and socially if they lack the material standards (diet, housing ad clothing) and the services and amenities (recreational, educational, environmental, social) which would allow them to participate in commonly accepted roles and relationship within society. The compass of poverty is complex, embracing the unemployed, those on low pay or in insecure work, the sick, the elderly, and the unskilled. Some minority ethnic groups also come into the picture, for example, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis in the UK have, in general, high rates of poverty compared to other groups (Giddens 2006). Absolute poverty assumes that it is possible to define a minimum standard of living based on a persons biological needs for food, water, clothing and shelter. The emphasis is on basic physical needs and not on broader social and cultural needs. Rowntrees studies of poverty in York in 1901, 1936, and 1951 used such an approach to poverty. But another way of viewing poverty is of relative poverty, which goes beyond biological needs, and is not simply about a lack of money but also about exclusion form the customs of society. Relative poverty is about social exclusion imposed by an inadequate income. Social exclusion is a broader concept than poverty encompassing not only low material means but the inability to participate effectively in economic, social, political and cultural life, implying alienation and distance from the mainstream society (Giddens 2006). Social exclusion may both be a precursor to poverty and an important consequence of it. In 1984, Mack and Lansley study established that the poverty threshold covered not only the basic essentials for survival (such as food and shelter) but also the ability to participate in society and play a social role: for the first time ever, a majority of people see the necessities of life in Britain in the 1980s as covering a wide range of goods and activities, and people judge a minimum standard of living on socially established criteria and not just the criteria of survival or subsistence. (Mack Lansley 1985 : 55) In the 1980s, the discussion of poverty turned increasingly to the notion of polarisation and to the shrinking portion of the UK cake held by the poorest. Poverty and wealth are not simply the bottom and top of the income distribution, they are polarised social conditions (Scott 1994). Income polarisation was also compounded by a number of policy measure introduced in the 1980s, such as a reduction in the level of income tax for high earners and increasing use of indirect taxes. Academics showed that polarisation and social disparities were growing between those who had benefited from the measures of the successive Thatcher administrations and those who had lost out, while the Thatcher government as the time tried to deny the excesses of Thatcherism. According to an analysis of the Child Poverty Action Group, in the regime of Margaret Thatcher, more than 63 billion has been transferred in subsidies from the poor to the rich (Oppenheim and Harker 1996) Research in the 1990s on the distribution of wealth and poverty in the UK has been produced under a Joseph Rowntree Foundation research initiative. This research highlighted that the number of people living in households with under half the national average income fell between the early 1960s and 1970s from five million to three million, but then rose to eleven million in 1991, to a point where one in five households were living on under half the national average income. The number of individuals under 60 living in households without paid work has more than doubled from 4.1. million, or 8 per cent, in 1979, to 9. 4 million, or 19 per cent by the mid 1990s. This has been accompanied by a widening gap in the incomes of households in paid work and those out of paid work. In 1997, 12 million people in the UK (almost 25% of the population) lived below the poverty line, defined as under half the average wage, and two out of five children were born poor. Today, according to OECD (Organisation for Economic cooperation and Development), Britain has one of the worst poverty records in the developed world (Giddens 2006). According to the latest available statistics, nearly 1 in 4 people in the UK – amounting to 13 million people – live in poverty. This includes nearly 4 million children – signifying a shocking 1 in 3 ratio (Oxfam GB 2003). The explanations that have been offered as causes of poverty fall under two categories, individualistic theories and structural theories. Here we will focus on the former. Individualistic theories identify the main causes of poverty within individuals themselves. Social and cultural factors are not entirely discounted, but more emphasis is place on inappropirated individual behaviours. There are three main types of individualistic theories. Orthodox economic theory: This theory proposes that poverty can be explained by the economic deficiency of the individual . Harold Lydall argues that the general abilities of men in the labour force determine the distribution of incomes. These abilities are assumed to be created by genetic, environmental and educational factors. To reduce poverty, policies need to target individuals own value systems, to develop their own personal qualities in a manner that makes them more capable and efficient. The individual is poor because he has not maximised his true potential in the labour market. Minority group theory: Minority group theory originate from the earliest studies of poverty based on the findings of Booth and Rowntree. These pioneering social scientists did not attempt to discover the causes of poverty, merely the characteristics of certain groups of poor people. Minority group theory has largely constructed its explanation for poverty through examining the characteristics of the poor for example, being old, being married with dependent children. Going beyond such demographic indicators, the theory implicates alleged faulty’ characteristics. The classification of ar-risk groups has prompted policy makers to implement a benefit system to ensure that the most basic of needs are met, without encouraging idleness or apathy. The poverty policies of successive governments have often informed by minority group theory. Subculture of poverty theory: Subculture of poverty theory is derived form a number of anthropological and sociological studies, particularly, the work of Oscar Lewis. It was Lewis who in 1959 introduced the term the culture of poverty in an effort to draw an analogy between the Mexican lower class families and those in other parts of the world. He attempted to explain the phenomenon of the persistence of poverty in different countries. The basic idea has its roots in the Chicago School of Sociology and the work of Robert E. Park. According to Park the patterns of the neighbourhood, and the slum in particular, once they come into being, take on a life of their own and are to a great extent self-generating and self-perpetuating. A sociological process known as labeling also underpins this phenomenon. Labelling somebody negatively may also lead to increased surveillance or segregation from the wider community which further increases (and even creates) the predicted behaviour (Fulcher and Scott 2001). These processes, whereby people tend to live up to the expectation of others are known to be self-fulfilling. Oscar Lewis implies a similar understanding in his formulation of the notion of the culture of poverty. Lewis claimed that poverty affected the very personality of slum dwellers. The poor tend to be at once apathetic yet alienated, happy-go-lucky yet miserable. Other negative characteristics that mark the psychological orientation of poor people include laziness, being unambitious, being disorganised, and fatalistic. To fight poverty at its roots, such psychological tendencies need to be gradually eroded, with more positive attitudes taking their place. Much work also needs to be done on making the destitute people more attractive to their potential employers, in terms of skills and educational qualifications. Substantial and sustained reductions in poverty depend on raising the level of qualifications among older teenagers and young adults in the bottom quarter of educational achievement. Lack of progress here is a major concern for longer term progress on reducing poverty. (Joseph Rowntree Foundation 2006) References: Giddens, A. (2006). Sociology. Cambridge : Polity Press Fulcher, J. Scott J. (2001). Sociology. Oxford : Oxford University Press Joseph Rowntree Foundation. (2006). Monitoring poverty and social exclusion in the UK 2006. Retrieved 20 March 2007 from http://www.poverty. org. uk/reports/mpse%202006%20findings. pdf Mack, J. Lansley, S. (1985). Poor Britain. London : Unwin Hyman Oppenheim,C. Harker, L. (1996). Poverty: the Facts, 3rd ed. London : Child Poverty Action Oxfam GB. (2003). The facts about poverty in the UK. Retrieved 20 March 2007 from http://www. oxfamgb. org/ukpp/poverty/thefacts. htm Scott, J. (1994). Poverty and Wealth: Citizenship, Deprivation and Privilege (Longman Sociology Series). London : Longman Group United Kingdom Townsend, P. (1992). Poverty in the UK. Berkeley : University of California Press

Market and Competitor Analysis of Hotel Industry

Market and Competitor Analysis of Hotel Industry Market Analysis: Industry and Competition EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Businesses fail to define satisfaction in the same way that customers do. Customer relationship satisfaction is measured by repeat business and recommendation of the store to others (Thompson 2004, p. 104). While customers can agree to these behaviours only â€Å"60% of customers who named a business they were loyal to, said they would also shop at the competition† (Donogh 2000, p. 1). How consumers perceive a company or product depends upon varying factors different for each individual (Whelan 2004). It is part of the job of the e-marketing analyst to disseminate how their client will gain market share and competitive advantage through marketing schemes. With regard to the tourism industry and creating customer relations, it is important to remain unique and as individual as every customer. How does one do this with limited time and funding? Customization of a web site is key to advantage but also creating a unique experience on the web site and at the destination is part of niche marketing and a main cornerstone to any tactic. GENERAL OVERVIEW It is of utmost importance to carry out an analysis of the industry per business operations and define the competition. As part of this presentation, a market analyst should keep in mind different models in which to decipher the current state of the market and where to gauge an organisation’s advantage. For the purpose of this presentation and understanding the tourism industry, four models chosen for this analysis are: (1) SWOT analysis, (2) PESTEL analysis, (3) Michael Porters Five Forces and (4) Boston Matrix. By comparing and contrasting the Althorn web site with the competition of other stately English homes, one can better assess the marketing plan and continue to make appropriate changes. The web sites chosen for review with Althopr.com are as follows: (1) Balmoralcastle.com and (2) Muscottmillfarm.co.uk. MARKET INDUSTRY ANALYSIS: SWOT Analysis The Historic Monument Travel Industry Strengths and Weaknesses are considered internal factors while Opportunities and Threats are external to company (‘SWOT Analysis’ 2005). It is important to note the analysis using this tool is very subjective in nature. When it comes to niche travel, England’s stately homes, castles and historic monuments fall into a very distinctive category that surprisingly appeals to many travellers’ sense of history. What makes the online presence special is being about to capture history while maintaining a certain level of current events, even celebrity about staying somewhere unique. (S)trengths: Places like Althorp and Balmoral have the essence of royalty engrained into the image and experience. These places have been witness to infamous times in history and famous people as well. (W)eaknesses: Historical travel destinations may also have an air of affluence about them, which could limit their target audience potential. This feeling of being beyond reproach may send mixed signals to the common man. (O)pportunities: Because places like Althorp and Balmoral are well known to the public because of their relationships to royalty, this propels them into the spotlight more than other less known sites like Muscott Mill. These places like Balmoral have history but also many opportunities that a smaller place cannot take advantage of. Places like Balmoral and Althorp also have a following where product sales with branding becomes key to continued image and public awareness. This allows them more interaction and further investment into different ways to capture the audience such as private rentals and entertainment events like golf and concerts. (T)hreats: Consumers may be afraid to travel because of the war in Iraq and threats of terrorism, increased security being time consuming. Also times are tight for a lot of people due to increasing energy costs and lack increased spending power. Many people have chosen to stay home or vacation close to home. Places like Althorp need focus on local tourism. ALTHORP.COM: CURRENT AND POTENTIAL MARKETS PESTEL Analysis This strategy analysis takes into account external forces, which may have influence on the organisations success (‘PESTEL Analysis’ 2005). (P)olitical: The political force that may influence Althorp is its relationships with the surrounding local community. Many do not want to see their ‘neighbourhood’ tarnished or changed by the tourist traffic or see Althorp take advantage of their royal status. Environmental: This is a very trendy topic, the notion of ‘going green’ but needless to say something to consider adopting as part of the new image tactic. Also Althorp should consider the fuel demands of travellers and maybe run a promotion with a local hotel or petrol station. (S)ocial: Social forces at work externally could be a fear of flying or travel. Also in times of trouble, people band together, become closer within their communities. Althorp should consider looking closer to home and cultivating a relationship with locals. They should use the Internet as a tool to focus globally. (T)echnological: Obviously the web site is classy and reflects the overall image of Althorp as a stately home with beautiful grounds. The web site should using appropriate e-tools to continue consumer interaction. These e-tools vary from pod casting to blogging but also create a more intimate interaction with the public, which also reflects another image of Althorp being a special place for Princess Dianna. Continued evolution of the web site can bring a feeling of closeness to the site it lacks currently. This may involve further investment to update software and hire a Web master or graphic designer. (E)cological forces at work for Althorp include once again the price of fuel or energy source and its prolonged use at the site, the affect it has on the environment. Has Althorp considered what affect it may have on the global warming? It would environmentally sound for the company to research ways to conserve and protect the environment maybe through a conservation project in conjunction with another site. (L)egal forces or changes in the laws that govern travel are constantly in issue. Also Althorp must keep in mind a lot of times people are not culturally aware of differing laws that apply when travelling. It is important that not only the house watch for the risk legal issues cause but also look out for its employees giving the correct information to customers. THE COMPETITION: BALMORAL AND MUSCOTT MILL FARM BALMORALCASTLE.COM PORTER’S FIVE FORCES Customer Bargaining Power High Today’s Internet savvy consumer is educated when it comes to their travel plans. This gives the consumer power over places like Balmoral to match their need for a web site that will understand their intelligence. They know what they want and at what price they want it. They may chose a different destination if they don’t like the web site. Threat of Substitute Products and Services – Emerging This is where diversification of services at Balmoral becomes important and an asset. The future of these places depends on presentation of different formats and product specialty to keep the customer’s attention. These niche locations like Balmorals will meet consumer demand of specific needs. Supplier Bargaining PowerMedium The bargaining power of Balmoral is relatively medium because of the nature of the product. Balmoral must remain at above industry standard while maintaining the sense of class found and that level of services. Threat of New Entrants – Emerging New entries into the market, one would think should be low because of the designation of this being a niche destination as historical but the truth is places like Balmoral must compete outside their niche for capture of customers. They compete with theme parks and adventure vacations of the like. Many tourists because the information from the Internet is so vast are looking for something beyond the regular vacation. The Overall Level of Rivalry – Moderate There is a perception that the more densely populated the area becomes the higher the competition with the company struggling for market participation. This is an incorrect assumption because most of niche travel locations are operating online mainly suppliers to manufacturers or to the public. This results in less advertising and an environment where the competitive spirit is unvoiced. MUSCOTTMILLFARM.CO.UK Boston Matrix Analysis There are four areas that divide the matrix so that a place like Muscott Mill Farm can be differentiated from other stately English homes or working historic monuments. The place falls into one of these areas. The four areas are as follows: (1) Stars, (2) Cash Cows, (3) Question Marks and (4) Dogs (‘Boston Matrix’ 2005). Stars are tourist sites like Balmoral or Althorp that have a strong presence in the market and they are able to keep up, even be ahead of the competition. Balmoral, while stoically regal also maintains a global image because of it being the Queen’s summer residence. Cash Cows are smaller places of interest like Muscott Mill that are not in the spotlight and may be hidden from the average tourist’s mind (‘Boston Matrix’ 2005). Many smaller historical sites are becoming cash cows because of operating cost increases but also the aftermath of 9/11 remains. People are not as eager to travel and the price of airfare keeps people closer to home. Muscott Mill would be better off focusing on local markets for shorter weekend holidays. Question Marks are companies that have potential to make money if they are run properly (‘Boston Matrix’ 2005). A good example of a Question Mark in the industry would be smaller BB type places but not at the level of Musc ott Mill. They are constantly facing challenges with their operations management and particularly labour disputes. Dogs are companies that are just terrible, have no potential and should be out of business but continue to struggle (‘Boston Matrix’ 2005). Euro Disney is the prominent example. It has never lived up to the hype. Muscott Mill Farm remains at the bottom of the chain of advantage because it is not well known by the public as a destination. Its web site is quaint at best and not at all interactive but yet one can see the purpose it serves to at least introduction someone to its existence. EVALUATION OF MARKETING COMMUNICATION AND CRM A company’s marketing and recognition begins with its name. Because the business of tourism is greatly service oriented, it is of utmost importance that the company’s name has integrity. With time, as the organisation further establishes itself, the two will become interchangeable. The organisation has a reputation to uphold where market share remains wide-open and competitive advantage strong. Recently the house’s name and intellectual property in the forms of trademarks and brand has been at the forefront, in constant view thanks to e-business. John M.T. Balmer surmises that much of the problem with establishing a marketing framework for organisations is built on the concept that the notion of identity is vague to the corporation and therefore the consumer. Defining identity and therefore CRM becomes a challenge now especially as business practices change and shift to encompass all areas of focus and strategy. Balmer’s (2001) research writes of, â€Å"identity was a pressing issue for many institutions and that the question of identity, or of what the organisation is or stands for, cuts across and unifies many different organisational goals and concerns† (p. 250). Hence the confusion and challenge of figuring out exactly what identity is for a particular organisation because it is different for each. CONCLUSION The purpose of this presentation was to demonstrate different market strategy models that allow one to analyse not only the particular industry but also the competition. The niche travel destination market has its strengths and weaknesses but also these are areas that Althorp can use to make its marketing scheme better. The competition for the United Kingdom is vast but Althorp has many elements on its side as a special location for travellers. The main focus of any marketing scheme should be to know how to capture the mindset of the individual to reach a higher state of competitive advantage and this begins and ends with conveying the correct brand image. REFERENCES Allen, G 1999, Introduction to Marketing, Mountain View College, Mountain View, California. ‘Althorp’, Althorp.com, viewed 5 Aug. 2008, http://www.althorp.com.> Balmer, J M T, Fukukawa, K Gray E R 2001, The Nature and Management of Ethical Corporate Identity: Discussion Paper on Corporate Identity, Corporate Social Responsibility and Ethics, Bradford School of Management, England. Balmer, J M T 2001, ‘Corporate identity, corporate branding and corporate marketing seeing through the fog’, European Journal of Marketing vol. 35, 3/4, p. 248-291. ‘Balmoral Castle’, Balmoralcastle.com, viewed 7 Aug. 2008, http://www.balmoralcastle.com.>. ‘Boston Matrix or Boston Consulting Group Box BCG Box’, viewed 5 Aug. 2008, http://www.tutor2u.net/busines/strategy/bcg_box.htm.>. Donogh, J 2008, ‘Customer Loyalty—From the Customer’s Perspective’, viewed 3 Aug. 2008 www.refresher.com/!loyalty2.html>. Kotler P, 1999, Kotler on Marketing, Free Press, New York. ‘PESTEL Analysis’, viewed 5 Aug. 2008, http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/detail?type=RESOURCESitemid=1074451452> Peters, T 2003, ‘Helping Small Firms Put the ‘e’ in Trade’, International Trade Forum,  1 July. Pitturo, M 1999, ‘Get into the e-Commerce Without Betting the Store’, Journal of  Accountancy, 1 May. Porter, M E 1999, Strategy and the Internet, Harvard University Press, Cambridge. Porter, M E 1985, Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance. The Free Press, New York. ‘SWOT Analysis’, viewed 5 Aug 2008, http://www.quickmba.com/strategy/swot/.>. Thompson, H 2004, What They Want: Ten Myths About Your Customers, Prentice-Hall, Clifford Falls, New Jersey, p. 103-112. Whelan, D 2004, ‘Build It and They Will Come’, Forbes, 27 Dec 2004. APPENDICES APPENDIX A SAMPLE POSSIBLE QUESTIONNAIRE 1. How do you rate Althorp’s web site overall ease of use? (1=very easy; 5=very difficult) 2. Having Althorp’s picture of the web sites you visited (1: strongly agree; 5=strongly disagree; 6=no opinion) a. Reflects how you think about the web. b. Gives you more confidence in exploring the web. c. Slows down the computer too much. d. Helps you feel more adventurous. e. Lets you know where you are in the web. f. Takes too much time to use. g. Helps you move around in the web. h. Makes me feel like I’m travelling throughout the web. i. Takes up too much space on the screen. j. Makes web organisation clearer. 3. Please rate how you think Althorp would be for the following functions (very useful, useful, not useful, don’t  know): a. Pure Entertainment (games, chat, humor) b. Personal uses (hobbies, health, recipes, travel) c. Business (buy and sell, product info, banking) d. Academic (exchange data and results, communicate with colleagues, grad info). 4. I feel that looking for information on the World Wide Web using Althorp.com is: (Strongly Agree, Agree, Neutral, Disagree, Strongly disagree, Don’t Know): Easy; entertaining; confusing; complicated; intimidating; hard; boring; straightforward; simple; frustrating.

Unacceptable Female Roles in Shakespeares Macbeth :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

Macbeth's Unacceptable Female Roles      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   William Shakespeare's tragic play Macbeth scarcely deals women a fair hand; the drama contains only misfit women in the major roles. In fact, the witches are not fully women, with their beards and supernatural aspect. In this essay we will treat on Lady Macbeth, the greatest misfit of them all, in detail, and on other women only incidentally.    A.C. Bradley in Shakespearean Tragedy demonstrates Lady Macbeth's inflexibility of will which enables her to dominate her husband:    Sharing, as we have seen, certain traits with her husband, she is at once clearly distinguished from him by an inflexibility of will, which appears to hold imagination, feeling, and conscience completely in check. [. . .] On the moment of Macbeth's rejoining her, after braving infinite dangers and winning infinite praise, without a syllable on these subjects or a word of affection, she goes straight to her purpose and permits him to speak of nothing else. She takes the superior position and assumes the direction of affairs - appears to assume it even more than she really can, that she may spur him on. (336-37)    Lily B. Campbell in her volume of criticism, Shakespeare's Tragic Heroes: Slaves of Passion, discusses how strong-willed is Lady Macduff:    Lady Macduff is distinctly of the opinion that her husband fled the land from fear, even without having done anything which should make him fear retribution. To Ross she says:    His flight was madness. When our actions do not, Our fears do make us traitors.    As Ross argues that she cannot know whether it "was his wisdom or his fear", she very pertinently argues against the wisdom that will make a man fly from the place in which he leaves his wife and children, and she instances the courage of the wren that will make it fight the owl to protect its young ones in proof that Macduff's fear has made him unnatural in his actions.(230)    In Fools of Time: Studies in Shakespearean Tragedy, Northrop Frye shows that a lady is the actual driving force in the play:    That Macbeth is being hurried into a premature act by his wife is a point unlikely to escape the most listless member of the audience, but Macbeth comes to regret the instant of fatal delay in murdering Macduff, and draws the moral that

A Study on Various Fruit Juice Companies of Bangladesh

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1. 1 Origin of the report: This report was conducted and submitted as a partial requirement for the course Business Communication (BUS 231). The report was authorized by Eng. Mr. Kamrul Hassan, Assistant Professor, Department of Business Administration, East West University. The report was prepared jointly by our group members. 1. 2 Background of the Study: We were assigned as a group to have a study on various fruit juice companies of Bangladesh. We have conducted a study on their organization and also find out the consumer perception about the product.We find out the consumer perception about various fruit Juice. 1. 3 Objective of the study: The main purpose of the project is to show the customer preference to select fruit juice by doing a questionnaire based survey. We were instructed from our business communication course lecturer Eng. Mr. Kamrul Hassan to submit a business communication report on a four generetic products . We choose four fruit juice comp anies that are available in Bangladesh, such as Pran, Acme, Frutika and Shezan mango juice. This project also discusses the frequency table and show graph of different questions about fruit juice.It also helps to know the customer satisfaction level and customer brand loyalty of different brands of fruit juice. We had some objectives behind making the report. These are: †¢ To know about consumer perception for fruit Juice. †¢ To gather practical knowledge on analyzing companies financially. †¢ To be experienced on gathering survey. We believe that we were successful to fulfill most of our objectives. Thanks Allah to bless on us. 1. 4 Scope: The main focus of this report is to discuss the customer preference about the fruit juice and the factors which are the reasons to select their product.It also gives a little description about the history, mission, vision, goal and strategy about the industry. The report discusses the products and service they are giving. It also d iscusses, the target customer and market they are focusing to do business. 1. 5 Methodology: 1. 5. 1 Sources of information: We collect this information from our friends and our relatives. A small proportion of people like 20 from university and 10 from our local friends and uncle’s was selected, as the population of the study. 1. 5. 1. 1 Primary sources:Directly from filling the Questionnaire. 1. 5. 1. 2 Secondary sources: Taken data from various magazines, Newspaper and other prominent source of information collected from different websites and search engines. 1. 5. 2 Data Collection techniques: We have collected our data by questionnaire. 1. 5. 3 Data Analysis techniques: The report was mainly done on the various age of people. These people communicated with us via questionnaires. 1. 5. 3. 1 Statistical tools used: We have used frequency tables and pie chart as our statistical tools. 1. 6 Definitions and Acronyms:The human- relations dimension of communication makes it an activity that involves ethics. But business communication in particular brings ethical considerations into play. The fundamental purpose of a business is to stay in business and, most would say, to maintain or increase stakeholder wealth. When a business is in trouble or the owners are greedy, it can be tempting to try to serve this purpose by using communication in unethical ways. 1. 7 Limitation: The major limitations encountered are: †¢ Lack of enough time: The term paper was prepared within a very short time considering the topics related to it.That’s why; it was not possible to demonstrate all aspects of the report. †¢ Insufficient data: The data required for sufficient analysis for preparing the report could not be collected due to the insufficiency of data. †¢ Inconsistent data: Data from different sources were quite inconsistent which created some problems in making the report & compelled us to verify the data diligently. Some information was withheld t o preserve privacy of the companies. So, we can’t give the exact information always. 1. 8 Report Preview: The first chapter we have talked about the origin & the background of the report.We also have discussed the objectives, scopes, methodologies, definitions & acronyms and finally limitations to wrap up the chapter. Then in second chapter of the term paper we have included the introduction and some brief information on fruit juice companies. It also includes the organ gram of the companies, its missions & visions, its services etc. Then in the third chapter we have analyzed perception of consumers and make a table and graph by using statistical techniques for the fruit juice companies In the final segment, we have drawn our own conclusion regarding the ratio analysis. We also have some recommendations stated at the end.CHAPTER 2: ORGANIZATION 2. 1 History of the organization(PRAN) : PRAN means P- Program for R- Rural A-  Advancement N- Nationality â€Å"PRAN† is cu rrently the most well known household name among the millions of people in Bangladesh and abroad also. Since its inception in 1980, PRAN Group has grown up in stature and became the largest fruit and vegetable processor in Bangladesh. It also has the distinction of achieving prestigious certificate like ISO 9001:2000, and being the largest exporter of processed agro products with compliance of HALAL & HACCP to more than 70 countries from Bangladesh.PRAN is the pioneer in Bangladesh to be involved in contract farming and procures raw material directly from the farmers and processes through state of the art machinery at our several factories into hygienically packed food and drinks products. The brand â€Å"PRAN† has established itself in every category of food and beverage industry and can boost a product range from Juices, Carbonated Drinks, Confectionery, Snacks, and Spices to even Dairy products.Today, our consumers not only value â€Å"PRAN† for its authentic refres hing juice drinks products, but also for its mouth watering quality confectionery products with high visual appeal and exciting texture. We intend to expand our presence to every corner of the world and strive to make â€Å"PRAN† a truly international brand to be recognized globally. 2. 2 Mission: 1. Being respectful towards everyone. 2. Being trustworthy by action. Being passionate and creative in all we do. 3. Keeping things simple in the way we do things. 4. Being ethical and transparent. 5. Demonstrating individual and collective ownership. . Practicing an open culture in communication and interaction. As a uniquely Asian company, our goal is to catalyze progress in Asia by piecing together technology, connectivity and talent – this brand is symbolic of our commitment to the industry, to the region Vision: PRAN is the largest grower and processor of fruits and vegetables in the country. Their contract growers cultivate the choicest fruits and vegetables which are p rocessed in our modern and hygienic factories to highest quality standards. They think the comparative advantage of their country as an economy lies in agriculture.They believe the way to economic prosperity is through agri and agro-business. PRAN is in testimony to their convictions. Strategy: December 2009 — Present (9 months) †¢ To prepare annual, semi-annual and quarterly plan to achieve key commercial targets for the the company. †¢ To identify, analyze and develop the competitor’s price positioning and price points relevant to tariff plans in the industry which meets customer’s needs. †¢ To identify and get well acquainted with pricing model by revising/ implementing new price plan. †¢ To identify threat or potential by tracking entire commercial divisions key performance. To identify and develop product costing and implement quarterly Commercial activities calendar. †¢ To analyze & develop and recommend co-ordination meeting with all stakeholders of pricing & product team to review the activities/stages and going forward. †¢ To identify, prepare pricing concept and develop the commercially feasible report and roll out through approved process. †¢ To achieve targeted KPI of each stages by utilizing pricing tools to meet the Pricing model. †¢ To generate concept and get it approved from management in pursuit of company's business targets. To follow the systems and policy in place to for smooth operation of sales function. 2. 3 Organizational Structure & Size: Pran Company is one of the largest Food & Beverage Company of Bangladesh. They have their network tower all over Bangladesh. They also have much shop within Bangladesh. The basic departments of this organization are- Finance, Marketing, Accounting, HR, Corporate Strategy, Internal Audit, Technology, and Corporate Affairs. There are one head for each of these departments. CEO CSO CHRO CFO CTO CMOAnd other department head officers are also im portant but lesser than these head officers. 2. 4 products, services, customers, markets | | |Company Policy: To market products of consistent quality at home and abroad as per world standards produced hygienically in accordance with | |good manufacturing practices in state of the art plants & process, packed in appropriate packaging and remain committed to these objectives at| |all the times. | | |Corporate Head Office: Property Heights, 12 R K Mission Road, Dhaka – 1203. | |LOCATION OF PRODUCTION | |Location of Production: Ghorashal, Palash, Narshingdi. | |PRODUCT CATAGORIES | |Product Categories: Juice, Drinks, Beverage, Culinary, Snacks, Confectionary, Dairy. | | |Major Exporting Products: Fruit Juices, Fruit Drinks Instant Powdered Drinks, Pickles , Canned Fruits & Vegetables, Extruded & Fried Snacks, | |Tea, Aromatic Rice, Puffed Rice, Flattened Rice, Jam & Jelly, Plain Spices, Blended Spices, Mustard Oil, Mineral Water, Dehydrated fruits, | |Tomato Ketchup / Sauce, Toffees, Candies, Bubble Gum, Biscuits & other confectionery etc. | | |Major Exporting Countries: India, KSA, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Djibouti ,Angola, Australia, Austria,, Belgium, Benin, Brunei, Burkina | |Faso, Bhutan, Cameroon, Canada, Capo Verde Islands, Chad, Congo, Eritrea, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, France, Gabon, Gambia, Germany, Ghana, | |Greece, Guinea, India, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Korea, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Myanmar, Mayo tee, Nederland | |Antilles, Nepal, Niger, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, RCA, Reunion Islands, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Srilanka, Sudan, Sweden, | |Switzerland, Togo, UK, USA & Yemen. | 2. 5 Future Plan of the Organization: Like every food & beverage company AMCL Pran Company also has a future plan. According to their plan, this company gives strong effort for performing well.This company is performing very competently. They are always tries to ahead of their competitors. This activity indicates that t hey want to grab more market share day by day. So the future plan of AMCL Pran Company is to grab the highest market share within couple of years. 2. 6 History of the organization (FRUTIKA): Akij Group is one of the fastest business conglomerates in Bangladesh. Founded by Late Sheikh Akij uddin, the group started in humble way through trading business in 1940. Under his dynamic and charismatic leadership, the Group rapidly rose to the peak of success and has today 25 large Industrial and Commercial Units. Akij Food and Beverage Ltd is one of them.Akij Group launched in the local market three varieties of fruit juice under the brand name, â€Å" FRUTIKA†. 2. 7 Mission, Vision, Goal Strategy: mission: As a concern sister of Akij Group, the mission of AFBL is to surf the people best quality, social well fare etc. The mission of Akij group is narrow Vision: profit increase, market share and want to be market leader. They also have a vision to create new job opportunities in the m arket. Goal: Akij group has an objective to full fill their mission and also increase the company growth with adequate profit margin and more over want to satisfy their customers. 2. 8 Service, customer, Target Audience and Market:Akij Food and BeverageLimited wants to satisfy their all the customers. But it is very difficult to satisfy the all. . So in order to make sure the customer’s choice they has different flavors of juice named Frutika like mango, Orange and grape. Future Plan: Frutika is now a well known brand. So AFBL has a plan for increase its profitability. They are looking for new plant of new flavor. They are thinking for come in market with 2 liter juice bottle. 2. 9 Future Plan of the Organization: Like every food & beverage company Akij Food and beverage limited also has a future plan. According to their plan, this company gives strong effort for performing well. This company is performing very competently.They are always tries to ahead of their competitors. This activity indicates that they want to grab more market share day by day. 2. 10 History of the organization (ACME) ACME Group is one of the leading and diversified global conglomerates in Bangladesh, with offices in all major cities, employing over 3000+ employees and dedicated to  bringing the highest quality products and services to our customers. The ACME Agrovet & Beverage Ltd. is a FMCG business venture to manufacture fruit juice, mineral water and many more. These are manufactured and bottled in a state-of-the art processing factory using latest machines and Tetra-Pak facility. 2. 11 Mission, Vision, Goal, Strategy: Mission:The mission of ACME group is perpetual quest for excellence. Vision: ACME’s holistic approach is to ensure Health, Vigor and Happiness for all by manufacturing quality products of the highest quality at affordable prices and expanding in the local and global market. 2. 12 Service, customer, Target Audience and Market: ACME, though a pharmaceutic als company, produce juice as a food product. The marketing process of ACME juice is different than the other products that ACME produces. These diversities are found in distribution line, target, promotion strategy, pricing strategy, consumer relation and so on. To identify the potential target market ACME runs survey.For ACME juice the target market is the upper class and middle class people. It includes the people who are health conscious and prefer juice to satisfy thirst rather than cold drinks. 2. 13 Future Plan: ACME’s concern is is that the happy health of consumers. They are buying new plants for innovative-safety pack for their juices. Shezan: Shezan is not our locally made juice. It is imported from Pakistan. In our local market, we get only mango flavor of Shezan. The importer of the Shezan juice in our country is Nature Care. CHAPTER 3: Findings and Analysis Research Approach The respondents for this study are consumers who are using toilet soap at home, lived in Bangladesh.Research is focused mainly on younger consumers. Small amount of elder consumer also present in this survey. A pilot survey was carried out first and then questionnaires were used as a tool to collect required data. Sampling Method There are 10 questions about fruit juice and all brands were very familiar in Bangladesh. The questionnaires were distributed among the male and female consumers who live in Dhaka. Sample size was 30 and which covers all the brands used by different respondents. Data Analysis The statistical data analysis was done mainly thorough descriptive statistics, using Chi-Square method. The SPSS software was used to execute the analysis process.Methods such as pie charts were used to derive and summarize the data. The MS Excel was also used in data summarization process. Questions used in Questionnaires: The survey questions are shown below: 1. Which brand you prefer most as the best fruit juice? i)Pran ii) Frutika iii) Acme iv) Shezan v) Others 2. Whi ch juice you usually take? i) Pran ii) Frutika iii) Acme iv) Shezan v) Others 3. How often do you buy juice? i) Everyday ii) Once in a week iii) After 15 days iv) Once in a month 4. What flavor do you like most? i) Mango ii) Grape iii) Orange iv) Lemon v) Others 5. From where you purchase the juice frequently? ) Super market ii) Grocery shop iii) Fancy shops iv) Premium grocery v) Others 6. The age group who are responding this survey? i) 9-14 ii) 15-20 iii) 21-26 iv) 27-35 v) Others 7. From where do you come to know about this juice you are taking? i)TV adv ii)Radio iii)Bill-board iv)Newspaper v) Others 8. Which size do you prefer most? i)250 mL ii) 500mL iii) 1000 mL iv) 1250 mL v) Others 9. What do you prefer bottle or packet juice? i)bottle ii)packet 10. Thinking of similar products offered by companies, how would you compare your product? i)Much better ii) Some what better iii) About the same iv) Somewhere worse v)much worse SURVEY ANALYSIS Quantity of QuestionnairesThe summary of questionnaires collected is shown below. Question 1: 1. Which brand you prefer most as the best fruit juice? i)Pran ii) Frutika iii) Acme iv) Shezan v) Others ANALYSIS AND INTEPRETATION Table 1: Which brand you prefer most as the best fruit juice? | |Frequency |Percent |Valid Percent |Cumulative Percent | |i |Pran |10 |33. 33 |33. 33 |33. 33 | |ii |Frutika |7 |23. 33 |23. 3 |56. 67 | |iii |Acme |3 |10 |10 |66. 67 | |Iv |Shezan |4 |13. 33 |13. 33 |80. 0 | |v |Others |6 |20 |20 |100. 0 | |Total |30 |100. 0 |100. 0 | | Histogram (Pie chart): [pic] Interpretation:The table is showing that Pran is the best fruit juice on the basis of our survey. Out of 30 respondents 10 respondents go favor of Pran which results for 33. 33% of total and respondents 7 prefers Frutika which result for 23. 33%,Acme 10%,Shezan 13. 33% and Others 20% of total respondents. Question 2: 2. Which juice you usually take? i) Pran ii) Frutika iii) Acme iv) Shezan v) Others ANALYSIS AND INTEPRETATION Table 2: Whi ch juice you usually take? | |Frequency |Percent |Valid Percent |Cumulative Percent | |i |Pran |8 |26. 67 |26. 67 |26. 7 | |ii |Frutika |6 |20 |20 |46. 67 | |iii |Acme |2 | 6. 67 |6. 67 |53. 34 | |Iv |Shezan |6 |20 |20 |73. 34 | |v |Others |8 |26. 67 |26. 67 |100. 0 | |Total |30 |100. 0 |100. | | Histogram (pie chart): [pic] | | | | | | | Interpretation: From the table, we are seeing the juice which usually drink by the respondents. Out of 30 respondents 8 respondents drinks Pran which result for 26. 67% of total and 6 respondents drinks frutika which result for 20%, acme 6. 67%, shezan 20% and Others result for 26. 67% of total respondents. Question 3: 3. How often do you buy juice? i) Everyday ii) Once in a week iii) After 15 days iv) Once in a month v) others ANALYSIS AND INTEPRETATION Table 3: How often do you buy juice? |Frequency |Percent |Valid Percent |Cumulative Percent | |i |Everyday |7 |33. 33 |33. 33 |33. 33 | |ii |Once in a week |9 |23. 33 |23. 33 |53. 33 | |iii |After 15 days |4 |13. 33 |13. 33 |66. 67 | |Iv |Once in a month |4 |13. 3 |13. 33 |80. 0 | |v |Others |6 |20 |20 |100. 0 | |Total |30 |100. 0 |100. 0 | | Histogram (pie chart) : [pic] Interpretation: From the above data it can be concluded without doubt that most people buy fruit juice once in a week. Second highest number of people buys juice every day which results of 33. 33%. Other people buy juice after 15 days and once in a month which results is 13. 33%. | | | | | |Question 4: | | | | | 4. What flavor do you like most? i) Mango ii) Grape iii) Orange iv) Lemon v) Others ANALYSIS AND INTEPRETATION Table 4: What flavor do you like most? | |Frequency |Percent |Valid Percent |Cumulative Percent | |i |Mango |12 |40 |40 |40 | |ii |Grape |4 |13. 33 |13. 3 | 53. 33 | |iii |Orange |5 |16. 67 |16. 67 |70 | |Iv |Lemon |5 |16. 67 |16. 67 |86. 67 | |v |Others |4 |13. 33 |13. 33 |100. 0 | |Total |30 |100. 0 |100. 0 | | Histogram (pie chart) : [pic]Interpretation: From the above table we can see th at from the sample of 30, 40% people like mango flever, 13. 33% people like grape and others and 16. 67% people like orange and lemon. 5. From where you purchase the juice frequently? i) Super market ii) Grocery shop iii) Fancy shops iv) Premium grocery ANALYSIS AND INTEPRETATION Table 5: From where you purchase the juice frequently? | |Frequency |Percent |Valid Percent |Cumulative Percent | |i |Super market |10 |33. 33 |33. 33 |33. 3 | |ii |Grocery shop |2 |6. 67 |6. 67 |40 | |iii |Fancy shops |4 | 13. 33 |13. 33 | 53. 33 | |Iv |Premium grocery |6 |20 |20 |73. 33 | |v |Others |8 |26. 67 |26. 67 |100. 0 | |Total |30 |100. 0 |100. 0 | |Histogram (pie chart) : [pic] Interpretation: From the above table we can see that from the sample of 30, 33. 33% people purchase juice from super market, 6. 67% people purchase from grocery shop, 13. 33% people purchase from fancy shop,20% people purchase from premium shop and 26. 67% people purchase from other market. Question 6: 6. The age group who are responding this survey? i) 9-14 ii) 15-20 iii) 21-26 iv) 27-35 v) Others ANALYSIS AND INTEPRETATION Table 6: The age group who are responding this survey? | |Frequency |Percent |Valid Percent |Cumulative Percent | |i |0-14 9 |30 |30 | 30 | |ii |15-20 |10 |33. 33 |33. 33 |63. 33 | |iii | 21-26 |3 |10 |10 |73. 33 | |Iv |27-35 |6 | 20 |20 |93. 33 | |v |Others |2 |6. 67 |6. 67 |100. 0 | |Total |30 |100. |100. 0 | | Histogram (pie chart) : [pic] Interpretation: From the above table we can see that from the sample of 30, age between 0-14 of customer responds 30%, age between 15-20 of customer responds 33. 33%, age between 21-26 of customer responds 20%, age between 21-26 of customer responds 10%, age between 27-35 responds 20% and above that responds only 6. 67%. Question 7: 7. From where do you come to know about this juice you are taking? i)TV ad ii)Radio iii)Bill-board iv)Newspaper v) Others ANALYSIS AND INTEPRETATION Table 7: From where do you come to know about this juice you ar e taking? |Frequency |Percent |Valid Percent |Cumulative Percent | |i |TV ad |5 |16. 67 |16. 67 |16. 67 | |ii |Radio |6 |20 |20 |36. 67 | |iii |Bill-board |3 |10 |10 |46. 67 | |Iv |Newspaper |8 | 26. 67 |26. 67 |72. 7 | |v |Others |8 |26. 67 |26. 67 |100. 0 | |Total |30 |100. 0 |100. 0 | | Histogram (pie chart) : [pic] Interpretation: from the table we came to know that, 16. 67% came to know about the juice from TV ad, 20% from radio, 10% bill board, 26. 67% from newspapers and others. Question 8: 8. Which size do you prefer most? i)250 mL ii) 500mL iii) 1000 mL iv) 1250 mL v) Others ANALYSIS AND INTEPRETATION Table 8: Which size do you prefer most? |Frequency |Percent |Valid Percent |Cumulative Percent | |i |250 mL |16 |53. 33 |53. 33 |53. 33 | |ii |500mL |4 |13. 33 |13. 33 |66. 67 | |iii |1000 mL |2 |6. 67 | 6. 67 |73. 33 | |Iv |1250 mL |3 |16. 67 |16. 67 |83. 3 | |v |Others |5 |10 |10 |100. 0 | |Total |30 |100. 0 |100. 0 | | Histogram (pie chart) : [pic] Interpretation: From the above table we can see that from the sample of 30, 53. 33% people prefers 250 ml bottle of juice, 13. 33% prefers 500 ml,6. 67% 1000ml,16. 67% people prefers 1250 ml and 10% people prefers others size bottle of juice. Question 9: 9. What do you prefer bottle or packet juice? i)bottle ii)packet ANALYSIS AND INTEPRETATION Table 9. What do you prefer bottle or packet juice? |Frequency |Percent |Valid Percent |Cumulative Percent | |Bottle |16 |53. 33 |53. 33 |53. 33 | |Packet |14 |46. 67 |46. 67 |100. 0 | |Total |30 |100 |100 | | Histogram (pie chart) : [pic] Interpretation: From the table we can see that 53. 33% people prefers bottle juice and 46. 67% people prefers packet juice. Question 10: 10.Thinking of similar products offered by companies, how would you compare your product? i)Much better ii) Some what better iii) About the same iv) Somewhere worse v)much worse ANALYSIS AND INTEPRETATION Table 10. Thinking of similar products offered by companies, how would you compare your produ ct? | |Frequency |Percent |Valid Percent |Cumulative Percent | | i)Much better |11 |36. 67 |36. 67 |36. 67 | | ii)Somewhat better |6 |20 |20 |56. 7 | | iii)About the same |3 |10 |10 |66. 67 | | iv) Somewhere worse |5 |16. 67 |16. 67 |83. 39 | | v)much worse |5 |16. 67 |16. 67 |100. 01 | |Total |30 |100. 0 |100. 0 | | Histogram (pie chart) : [pic] Interpretation: From the data above we can interpret, that most of the customer are brand loyal and they compare product much better. 16. 7%of the sample says that their product is somewhere worse or much worse and 10% customer says that their product is about the same. CHAPTER 4: Conclusions and Recommendations 4. 1 CONCLUSION The fruit juice companies in Bangladesh is consists of a few producers. The demand for this product is very much vulnerable in terms of pricing. All companies are trying to give their product at a price which is affordable to most of the people in the country. Fruit juice is an uprising product in Bangladesh as a gre ater portion of the population, in summer the frui juice demand increases. There are many fruit juice companies (pran,acme,shejan,frutika etc. has been able to penetrate the market with heavy promotional activities. With different flavor, different bottle and packet sizes, different brand, different price, different quality, have been highly successful in their fields. Its distribution process is highly efficient. It has a huge availability around the country. We have found that usually the children love to take it. We found out that mango is a very popular flavor. Though the children love this, the age old people also have interest in it. People find it as a popular medium of drink. As ours is a mainly summer based country, so we see its demand on scotching heat. 4. 2 Recommendation for fruit Juice: fruit Juice should emphasize on taste because most of the buyers prefer the juice which tastes better. ? fruit Juice can have a wide range of flavors as consumer taste varies. ? fruit Juice should launch more attractive advertisements to attract consumers. ? fruit Juice can sponsor various programs to be promoted. ? Rebate or other types of cash offs can be offered to increase sale. ? There should be separate segmentation and targeting for kids as kids motivate their parents to buy fruit Juice ? Explanations of experts can illustrate the purity of fruit Juice which will clear consumer doubts. ? More nutritious factors can be added to fruit Juice to ensure consumer health. Appended Parts: References: 1. www. wikiepidia. org/en 2. ttp://www. AMCL Pran. com 3. Consumer Survey 4. http://www. google. com Blank format of questionnaires: This questionnaire is designed to determine the factors that are most important to you as a customer of juice. Your kind and patient response would enable us to complete the survey. 1. Which brand you prefer most as the best fruit juice? i)Pran ii) Frutika iii) Acme iv) Shezan 2. Which juice you usually take? i) Pran ii) Frutika iii) Ac me iv) Shezan 3. How often do you buy juice? i) Everyday ii) Once in a week iii) After 15 days iv) Once in a month 4. What flavor do you like most? i) Mango ii) Grape iii) Orange iv) Lemon 5.From where you purchase the juice frequently? i) Super market ii) Grocery shop iii) Fancy shops iv) Premium grocery 6. The age group who are responding this survey? i) 9-14 ii) 15-20 iii) 21-26 iv) 27-35 7. From where do you come to know about this juice you are taking? i)TV adv ii)Radio iii)Bill-board iv)Newspaper 8. Which size do you prefer most? i)250 mL ii) 500mL iii) 1000 mL iv) 1250 mL 9. What do you prefer bottle or packet juice? i)bottle ii)packet 10. Thinking of similar products offered by companies, how would you compare your product? i)Much better ii) Some what better iii) About the same iv) Somewhere worse v)much worse

Center-2279300 Essays - Human Resource Management, Business, Economy

Center-2279300 Essays - Human Resource Management, Business, Economy center-2279300 Location: Astana Course Code: HRM601 Course Name: Human Resource Management Professor: John W. Rogers Student(s) Name(s) : Akylbek Kalymzhan Cable Wireless case (2012) 1/ In your opinion, what should be the weaknesses of such a Group on the human side of business? Use disclosed facts as well as psycho-sociological and strategic elements to formulate your assessment. I would like to describe three main weaknesses of such a Group, which directly and indirectly influence the human side. In the part "The Strength of the Group" was written the actions of the company for the last several years, during this period company had aggressive strategy, because they were in process of acquiring the companies. In fact, it was a period of growth or MA period. As a result of MA, organization usually is enormously affected from the human side. First, company reduces its staff to be more efficient and effective, so layoff of superfluous employees is unavoidable. So, I think that CW fired people not only to meet financial results, but also to achieve managerial and strategic goals. Thousands of people lost their job, but this is not the worst if we consider this action from the point of management. The highest risk is a loss of key talented employees. Another one is diminished trust and uncertainty among workers. Second are different corporate cultures and management styles. Moreover, we do not know is there corporate culture or values in CW. Probably they do not have because company is young. Also, we do not know the mission and vision of the company, is there something what really drives people or motivate them to do something valuable. Third, new rules and procedures should be created, it can be rules of acquiring or acquired company or mix, but anyway employees will be affected by new policies. 2/ What is, in your point of view, the possible impact of their strategic alliances and partnership policy on the staff members? What are the inherent risks for any organization in this high-tech context? The strategic alliances and partnership policy has both advantages and disadvantages. First, knowledge exchange - employees from different partner companies can learn from each other. Second, exchange of technology - in highly competitive environment is good to have partners to implement new technologies or mastering them. On the other hand, there are some risks. Exchange of knowledge and technologies sometimes means information leak, the market is very competitive and new ideas can be stolen. Also, there is a risk of a loss of talented employees, because they can move to the partner's company. 3/ C W are recruiting and selecting a vast majority of young employees. What are the basics of a promotion/retention policy to manage and keep them? What do you do with left-over senior members? The management of the compa ny does a lot to keep employees; they do not eliminate costs on salaries or development . Their reward policy is good, because competitive with market standards and they offer different packages depending on the perform ance. Based on the performance, employees can be promoted. The promotion in the company is thoughtful and management always internally promotes employees. The retention policy for seniors and directors is good also, because benefit from shares or stock options. 4/ Describe in detail and analyze the impact of free access to Unions and possible quality of relationships within this UK organization. Justify your answers referring to the course and communication/information rules. Free access to Unions has pros and cons for company. Employees, who joined Unions, can have higher salary and legally allowed doing actions such as strikes . C ompany can decrease HR control, because promotion in the company based on the performance, but unions can make rules for such cases and instead of the most talented employee, company will be pushed to promote based on the other parameters rather than productivity or effectiveness. On the other hand, it is simpler to negotiate, because management should not communicate with everyone, and it is faster and more efficient. The level of employees' satisfaction is higher, because they have package of benefits: higher salary, protectiveness, better insurance etc. 5/ How do you imagine training and development needs in such an environment?

How to Get 800 on SAT Math, by a Perfect Scorer

How to Get 800 on SAT Math, by a Perfect Scorer SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Are you scoring in the 600-750 range on SAT Math? Do you want to raise that score as high as possible- to a perfect 800? Getting to an 800 SAT Math score isn't easy. It'll require perfection. But with hard work and my strategies below, you'll be able to do it. I've scored 800 on Math on all my SATs, and I know what it takes. Follow my advice, and you'll get a perfect score- or get very close. Brief note: This article is suited for students already scoring a 600 on SAT math or above. If you're below this range, my "How to improve your SAT Math score" article is more appropriate for you. Follow the advice in that article, then come back to this one when you've reached a 600. Overview A lot of SAT Math guides out there are pretty bad. They're written by people who don't have actual expertise in the test, or they contain vague advice that isn't helpful to the advanced student. You need better advice than simple SAT Math tips like "remember there's no guessing penalty!" In contrast, I've written what I believe to be the best guide on getting an 800 available anywhere. I have confidence that these strategies work because I used them myself to score 800 on SAT Math, every time I've taken the SAT.They've also worked for thousands of my students at PrepScholar. In this article, I'm going to discuss why scoring an 800 is a good idea, what it takes to score an 800, and then go into the 8 key SAT Math strategies so you know how to get an 800 on SAT Math. Stick with me- as an advanced student, you probably already know that scoring high is good. But it's important to know why an 800 Math score is useful, since this will fuel your motivation to get a high score. Finally, in this guide, I talk mainly about getting to a 800. But if your goal is a 700, these strategies still equally apply. Understand the Stakes: Why an 800 SAT Math? Let's make something clear: for all intents and purposes, a 1530+ on an SAT is equivalent to a perfect 1600. No top college is going to give you more credit for a 1580 than a 1540. You've already crossed their score threshold, and whether you get in now depends on the rest of your application. So if you're already scoring a 1550, don't waste your time studying trying to get a 1600. You're already set for the top colleges, and it's time to work on the rest of your application. But if you're scoring a 1520 or below AND you want to go to a top 10 college, it's worth your time to push your score up to a 1530or above. There's a big difference between a 1450 and a 1550, largely because it's easy to get a 1450 (and a lot more applicants do) and a lot harder to get a 1550. A 1530places you right around average at Harvard and Princeton, and being average is bad in terms of admissions, since the admissions rate is typically below 10%. So why get an 800 on SAT Math? Because it helps you compensate for weaknesses in other sections. By and large, schools consider your composite score moreso than your individual section scores. If you can get an 800 in SAT Math, that means you only need a 730 in SAT Reading and Writing. This gives you a lot more flexibility. MIT expects an 800 in SAT Math. There are two other scenarios where an 800 in SAT Math is really important. First is if you're planning for a quantitative or science major (like math, physics, statistics, chemistry). The second is if you're applying to a highly selective technical school like MIT or Caltech. Here's the reason: college admissions is all about comparisons between applicants. The school wants to admit the best, and you're competing with other people in the same "bucket" as you. By applying as a math/science major, you're competing against other math/science folks: people for whom SAT Math is easy. Really easy. Here are a few examples from schools. For Harvard, Princeton, MIT, Caltech, and even less selective schools like Harvey Mudd, the 75th percentile SAT Math score is an 800. That means at least 25% of all students at these schools have an 800 in SAT Math. Even more surprising: the 25th percentile score for SAT Math at MIT and Caltech are 750 and 770, respectively. This means if you score a 750 on your SAT Math, you'rewell below average for these schools! I'm not going to lie. SAT Math was super easy for me. I got 800 on pretty much every practice test and official SAT I ever took. This was largely because I had a strong math background and competed in math competitions like AMC/AIME. I also worked hard and applied the strategies below to achieve perfection. You're competing against people like me. And if you apply with a 700 on Math, schools like MIT, Harvard, and Princeton are going to doubt your ability. Because SAT Math is supposed to be trivially easy for you. But if you can work your way to an 800, you show that you're at an equal level (at least on this metric). Even if it takes you a ton of work, all that matters is the score you achieve at the end. Know That You Can Do It This isn't just some fuzzy feel-good message you see on the back of a Starbucks cup. I mean, literally, you and every other reasonably intelligent student can score an 800 on SAT Math. The reason most people don't is they don't try hard enough or they don't study the right way. Even if math wasn't your strongest suit, or you got a B+ in Calculus, you're capable of this. Because I know that more than anything else, your SAT score is a reflection ofhow hard you work and how smartly you study. Here's why: the SAT is a weird test. When you take it, don't you get the sense that the questions are nothing like what you've seen in school? It's purposely designed this way. The SAT can't test difficult concepts, because this would be unfair for students who never took AP Calculus. It can't ask you to solve Fermat's Last Theorem. The SAT is a national test, which means it needs a level playing field for all students around the country. So it HAS to test concepts that all high school students will cover. Basic algebra (solving single-variable equations, word problems), advanced algebra (quadratic and exponential equations), geometry (x-y coordinate geometry, circles squares and triangles), and basic statistics. You've learned all of this before in high school. But the SAT still has to make the test difficult to differentiate student skill levels, so it needs to test these concepts in strange ways. This trips up students who don't prepare, but it rewards students who understand the test well. Here's an example: Find the area of the shaded region below, if the radius of the circle is 5. This is a classic SAT type question. You might already know how to solve it. But it's unlikely you ever ran into something like this in school. The first time you see this, it might be confusing. How do you get the area of each of the shaded corners? It kind of looks like a triangle, but not really because of the curve region. But you've learned all the concepts you need to solve this. Notice that the shaded area is the area of the square, with the area of the circle punched out. To get to the answer quickly, this means that the area of a square is 10 x 10 = 100, and the area of a circle isÏ€r2, orÏ€ * 5 * 5 = 25Ï€. So the area of the shaded region is 100- 25Ï€. The SAT math section is full of weird examples like this, some of which get much more difficult. To improve your score, you just need to: master the types of questions that the SAT tests, like the one above draw on the correct concepts you already know to solve the questions practice on a lot of questions so you learn from your mistakes I'll go into more detail about exactly how to do this. First, let's see how many questions you need to get right an 800. What It Takes to Get An 800 in Math If we have a target score in mind, it helps to understand what you need to get that score on the actual test. There are 58 questions in the Math section, and how many questions you miss determines your scaled score out of 800. From the Official SAT Practice Tests, I've taken the raw score to scaled score conversion tables from 4 tests.(If you could use a refresher on how the SAT is scored and how raw scores are calculated, read this.) Raw Score Test 1 Test 2 Test 3 Test 4 58 800 800 800 800 57 790 790 790 800 56 780 780 780 790 55 760 770 770 790 54 750 760 750 780 53 740 750 740 770 52 730 740 730 760 51 710 730 720 750 Math has a REALLY strict grading scale. On 3 out of 4 tests, if you just miss a single question, you get dropped down to a 790. That's it- no perfect score! On one of these tests, you get an extra cushion of 1 question, but that's not much. This all depends on how the particular test you're taking is scored. The harder the math questions are, the more likely you can miss one question and get an 800. The safest thing to do is to aim for perfection. On every practice test, you need to aim for a perfect raw score for an 800. Whatever you're scoring now, take note of the difference you need to get to a 800. For example, if you're scoring a 700 now, you need to answer 8-9 more questions right to get to an 800. As a final example, here's a screenshot from my exact score report showing that I missed 0 questions and earned an 800. (This was from the previous 2400 version of the SAT.) OK- so we've covered why scoring a higher SAT math score is important, why you specifically are capable of improving your score, and the raw score you need to get to your target. Now we'll actually get into actionable strategies that you should use in your own studying to maximize your score improvement. Strategies to Get an 800 on SAT Math What's your greatest weakness? Strategy 1: Understand Your High Level Weakness: Content or Time Management Every student has different flaws in SAT Math. Some people aren't comfortable with the underlying math material. Others know the math material well, but can't solve questions quickly enough in the harsh time limit. Here's how you can figure out which one applies more to you: Take only the math sections of one practice test. We have the complete list of free practice tests here. For each section, use a timer and have it count down the time allotted for that section. Treat it like a real test. If time runs out for that section and you're 100% ready to move on, then move on. If you're not ready to move on, keep on working for as long as you need. For every new answer or answer that you change, mark it with a special note as "Extra Time." When you're ready, move on to the next section, and repeat the above until you finish the second math section. Grade your test using the answer key and score chart, but we want two scores: 1) The Realistic score you got under normal timing conditions, 2) The Extra Time score. This is why you marked the questions you answered or changed during Extra Time. Get what we're doing here? By marking which questions you did under Extra Time, we can figure out what score you got if you were given all the time you needed. This will help us figure out where your weaknesses lie. If you didn't take any extra time, then your Extra Time score is the same as your Realistic score. Here's a flowchart to help you figure this out: Was your Extra Time score a 700 or above? If NO (Extra Time score 700), then you have remaining content weaknesses. You might have weaknesses across a range of subjects, or a deep weakness in only a few subjects. (We'll cover this later). Your first plan of attack should be to develop more comfort with all SAT Math subjects. If YES (Extra Time score 700), then: Was your Realistic score a 700 or above? If NO (Extra Time score 700, Realistic 700), then that means you have a difference between your Extra Time score and your Realistic score. If this difference is more than 50 points, then you have some big problems with time management. We need to figure out why this is. Are you generally slow at math across most questions? Or did particular problems slow you down? Generally, doing a lot of practice questions and learning the most efficient solutions will help reduce your time. More on this later. If YES (both Extra Time and Realistic scores 700), then you have a really good shot at getting an 800. Compare your Extra Time and Realistic score- if they differed by more than 30 points, then you would benefit from learning how to solve questions more quickly. If not, then you likely can benefit from shoring up on your last content weaknesses and avoiding careless mistakes (more on this strategy later). Hopefully that makes sense. Typically I see that students have both timing and content issues, but you might find that one is much more dominant for you than the other. For example, if you can get an 800 with extra time, but score a 700 in regular time, you know exactly that you need to work on time management to get an 800. Strategy 2:Do a TON of Practice, and Understand Every Single Mistake On the path to perfection, you need to make sure every single one of your weak points is covered. Even one mistake on all of SAT Math will knock you down from an 800. The first step is simply to do a ton of practice. If you're studying from free materials or from books, you have access to a lot of practice questions in bulk. As part of our PrepScholar program, we have over 1,500 SAT questions customized to each skill. The second step- and the more important part- is to be ruthless about understanding your mistakes. Every mistake you make on a test happens for a reason.If you don't understand exactly why you missed that question, you will make that mistake over and over again. I've seen students who did 20 practice tests. They've solved over 3,000 questions, but they're still nowhere near an 800 on SAT Math. Why? They never understood their mistakes. They just hit their heads against the wall over and over again. Think of yourself as an exterminator, and your mistakes are cockroaches. You need to eliminate every single one- and find the source of each one- or else the restaurant you work for will be shut down. Here'swhat you need to do: on every practice test or question set that you take, mark every question that you're even 20% unsure about when you grade your test or quiz, review EVERY single question that you marked, and every incorrect question. This way even if you guessed a question correctly, you'll make sure to review it. in a notebook, write down 1) the gist of the question, 2) why you missed it, and 3) what you'll do to avoid that mistake in the future. Have separate sections by subject and sub-topic (algebra- solving equations, data analysis- experimental interpretation, etc.) It's not enough to just think about it and move on. It's not enough to just read the answer explanation. You have to think hard about why you specifically failed on this question. By taking this structured approach to your mistakes,you'll now have a running log of every question you missed, and your reflection on why. No excuses when it comes to your mistakes. Always Go Deeper- WHY Did You Miss a Math Question? Now, what are some common reasons that you missed a question? Don't just say, "I didn't get this question right." That's a cop out. Always take it one step further- what specifically did you miss, and what do you have to improve in the future? Here are some examples of common reasons you miss a question, and how you take the analysis one step further: Content:I didn't learn the math skill or knowledge needed to answer this question. One step further:What specific math skill do I need to learn, and how will I learn this skill? Incorrect Approach:I knew the content, but I didn't know how to approach this question. One step further:How do I solve the question? How will I solve questions like this in the future? Careless Error:I misread what the question was asking for or solved for the wrong thing. One step further:Why did I misread the question? What should I do in the future to avoid this? Get the idea? You're really digging into understanding why you're missing questions. Yes, this is hard, and it's draining, and it takes work. That's why most students who study ineffectively don't improve. But you're different. Just by reading this guide, you're already proving that you care more than other students. And if you apply these principles and analyze your mistakes, you'll improve more than other students too. Bonus: If all of this is making sense to you, you'd love our SAT prep program, PrepScholar. We designed our program around the concepts in this article, because they actually work.When you start with PrepScholar, you’ll take a diagnostic that will determine your weaknesses in over forty SAT skills. PrepScholar then creates a study program specifically customized for you. To improve each skill, you’ll take focused lessons dedicated to each skill, with over 20 practice questions per skill. This will train you for your specific area weaknesses, so your time is always spent most effectively to raise your score. We also force you to focus on understanding your mistakes and learning from them. If you make the same mistake over and over again, we'll call you out on it. There’s no other prep system out there that does it this way, which is why we get better score results than any other program on the market. Check it out today with a 5-day free trial: Strategy 3:If You Have Math Content Gaps, Be Ruthless About Filling Them Within SAT Math, you have to master a lot of subjects. At the high level, you need to know basic algebra, advanced algebra, data analysis, and geometry. Even further, within algebra, you need to know how to solve equations, how to deal with word problems, properties of functions, etc. Here's our complete mapping of all 24 skills you need in SAT Math: Basic Algebra Linear functions Single variable equations Systems of linear equations Absolute value Advanced Algebra Manipulating polynomials Quadratic equations Dividing polynomials Exponential functions Function notation Solving exponential equations Systems of equations with nonlinear equations Problem Solving and Data Analysis Ratios and proportions Scatterplots and graphs Categorical data and probabilities Experimental interpretation Mean, median, mode, standard deviation Additional Topics Coordinate geometry- lines and slopes Coordinate geometry- nonlinear functions Geometry- circles Geometry- lines and angles Geometry- solid geometry Geometry- triangles and polygons Trigonometry Complex numbers Whew! That's a handful. This might be a greater breakdown of skills then you're used to, but at PrepScholar we believe in grouping questions by specific skill so you can train most effectively. In our program, we break down all our SAT Math content into these detailed skills so you can train your specific weaknesses in focused groups. Unless you're a math whiz and are already scoring a 750-800, it's unlikely that you've mastered all of these evenly. You probably have different strengths and weaknesses across these subjects. If from the analysis of mistakes above you find that you have a content problem, you need to improve your understanding of that content. By Content problem, I mean that you're not comfortable with the underlying math concepts in a subject. Maybe you forgot how to solve a type of problem, or you forgot a formula to use, or you just don't remember the subject material. If you've identified one of these issues, you've spotted an opportunity for yourself to improve your score. Fill in the potholes of your understanding. Think of a mistake like discovering a cavity in your mouth. When your dentist fills in a cavity, he doesn't just patch up the hole right away. He cleans out the entire cavity, sterilizes it, then adds a filling. Content mistakes are similar- you have a weakness in a subject, say x-y coordinate geometry. This probably means you have a lot of other weaknesses in that subject other than the one identified by that question. Don't just focus on understanding that one question you missed. Take the opportunity to research that subject and get more practice in it. You need to find a way to get lesson material to teach yourself the main concepts that you're forgetting. Then you need to find more practice questions for this skill so you can drill your mistakes. In our SAT prep program PrepScholar, we do that work for you by splitting up our 1,500+ practice questions by skill and difficulty. If you're weak in algebra- solving equations, you get 20+ questions in a quiz dealing specifically with that skill. This repetitive practice fills up your content gap far better than any other method I know. Strategy 4: If You Miss a Question, Try It Again Before Reading the Explanation When you're doing practice questions, the first thing you probably do is read the answer explanation and at most reflect on it a little. This is a little too easy. I consider thispassive learning- you're not actively engaging with the mistake you made. Instead, try something different- find the correct answer choice (A-D), but don't look at the explanation. Instead, try to re-solve the question once over again and try to get the correct answer. This will often be hard. You couldn't solve it the first time, so why could you solve it the second time around? But this time, with less time pressure, you might spot a new strategy, or something else will pop up. Something will just "click" for you. When this happens, what you learned will stick with you for 20 times longer than if you just read an answer explanation. I know this from personal experience. Because you've struggled with it and reached a breakthrough, you retain that information far better than if you just passively absorbed the information. It's too easy to just read an answer explanation and have it go in one ear and out the other. You won't actually learn from your mistake, and you'll make that mistake over and over again. Treat each wrong question like a puzzle. Struggle with each wrong answer for up to 10 minutes. Only then if you don't get it should you read the answer explanation. Strategy 5: Master Every SAT Math Skill- Even the Rare Ones The SAT has an uneven balance of questions by skill. Algebra dominates the test, taking up over 50% of the test. This is somewhat good news, in that if you're an Algebra whiz, you'll do well on the bulk of SAT math. The bad news is that there's a long tail of straggling skills that show up just a few times a test. We've done a careful analysis of every math question on every official SAT test, and here are the LEAST common skills in SAT math. I'll show you the frequency of appearance, as well as the expected # of questions per test for that skill. Skill Frequency Expected Questions Per Test Dividing polynomials 1.72% 1 Trigonometry, radians 1.72% 1 Absolute value 1.29% 0.75 Complex numbers 1.29% 0.75 Experimental interpretation 0.86% 0.5 Lines and angles 0.86% 0.5 Solid geometry 0.86% 0.5 Systems of equations with nonlinear equations 0.86% 0.5 Function notation 0.43% 0.25 This might surprise you. Some of these skills have an expected # of questions lower than one. That's right: sometimes you might not even get a complex number or solid geometry question. But you have to know it anyway. You have to know it all. In some ways, this is really extreme. You have to know a LOT of topics in trigonometry, just to answer that one question per test. Here's an example: You need knowledge of radians and standard triangles to answer this question.To solve the question, you can realize that if the x length is√3, and the height is 1, then you know that this is a 30-60-90 triangle lying on its long side. Thus the angle is 30 degrees. Then, becauseÏ€ radians is 180 degrees, then the angle isÏ€/6 radians, so a = 6. But notice that you weren't tested on any other items in standard trigonometry- SOH CAH TOA, graphing functions like cos (90 + 2x), and converting between sin and cos. Yet you still need to know this, because you can't predict what they're going to test. This is also true of complex numbers, solid geometry (volumes, surface areas), absolute value, dividing polynomials, etc. This is the challenge of the 800 Math scorer- you need a wide BREADTH of knowledge as well as DEPTH of mastery in each one.No single test is going to test the entire breadth of your knowledge, but you must be prepared anyway. The way we handle this at PrepScholar, which is based on how I mastered the SAT myself, is to give you detailed lessons and quizzes for all 24 Math skills, and all Reading/Writing skills. For even the least common skills like complex numbers and solid geometry, you'll get dozens of questions to practice with and master the skill. You'll leave no stone unturned, which is why top scoring students love us. If you don't use PrepScholar, then you need to find great sources of practice content yourself, and to structure your study time optimally so you get both breadth and depth. Strategy 6: Finish With Extra Time and Double Check Your goal at the end of all this work is to get so good at SAT Math that you solve every question and have extra time left over at the end of the section to recheck your work. In high school and even now, I can finish SAT Math sections in about 60% of the time allotted. This means I finish a 25 minute section in 15 minutes or less, and a 55 minute section in 35 minutes. This gives me a TON of time to recheck my answers two times over and make sure I make no careless mistakes. How can I finish a section this quickly? It comes down to mastery of the math skills and a LOT of experience with the test. When I see a question, I usually know exactly what the College Board is asking for, and I've seen so many such questions that I know exactly how to solve it in the fewest steps needed. It comes from hard work and perseverance.If you're pretty far from this time benchmark, don't fret- it took me a lot of training and experience to get to this level. (After all, I've seen thousands of questions in my own SAT prep and when designing our PrepScholar SAT program). So let's say you finish a section ahead of time. What do you do with all that extra time? Don't rest and don't put your head down. Use this valuable time to double-check, even triple-check your work. Remember, even ONE question missed will bring you down from an 800- you need to achieve perfection. What's the best way to double-check your work? I have a reliable method that I follow: Re-read the question again. Question your assumption about what the question is about. If the question asks for a specific variable, make sure you're solving for that variable! Try to resolve the question another way. If I solved a question algebraically, I can recheck it by plugging in the solution. If I'm 100% sure I'm right on a question, I draw a huge check mark in the test book and never look at the question again. Even if I feel just a little twinge of remaining doubt, I'll come back to it on the third pass. At least 2 minutes before time's up, I rapidly double-check that I bubbled the answers correctly. I try to do this all at once so as not to waste time looking back and forth between the test book and the answer sheet. Go 5 at a time ("A D E C B") for more speed. Here's an example of solving a question two ways: First way: My natural instinct is to solve this algebraically. I know I can plug in numbers, but I feel that's slower and more error prone than getting a definitive answer through solving the equation. 3x - 5≠¥ 4x - 3 I can rearrange in my head in one step like so: -2≠¥ x (if you make careless mistakes, like the College Board expects you to do, it's worthwhile splitting it up into smaller steps) OK, so the solutioin set is numbers less than or equal to -2. This leaves answer A as NOT the solution. Doublecheck way:Now that I know answer A should be correct, I'm going to verify by plugging that value back in and expecting the inequality to fail: 3x - 5 ≠¥ 4x - 3 -3 - 5≠¥ -4 -3 -8≠¥ -7 That's obviously false, so I can verify that A is the right answer. At this point I'm confident enough that I can move on and not check this question again. Another time management tip: If you notice yourself spending more than 30 seconds on a problem and aren't clear how you'll get to the answer, skip and go to the next question. Even though you need a perfect raw score for an 800, don't be afraid to skip. You can come back to it later, and on your first pass it's more important to get as many points as possible. Quick Tip: Bubbling Answers Here's a bubbling tip that will save you 2 minutes per section. When I first started test taking in high school, I did what many students do: after I finished one question, I went to the bubble sheet and filled it in. Then I solved the next question. Finish question 1, bubble in answer 1. Finish question 2, bubble in answer 2. And so forth. This actually wastes a lot of time. You're distracting yourself between two distinct tasks- solving questions and bubbling in answers. This costs you time in both mental switching costs and in physically moving your hand and eyes to different areas of the test. Here's a better method: solve all your questions first in the book, then bubble all of them in at once. This has several huge advantages: you focus on each task one at a time, rather than switching between two different tasks. You also eliminate careless entry errors, like if you skip question 7 and bubble in question 8's answer into question 7's slot. By saving just 10 seconds per question, you get back 200 seconds on a section that has 20 questions. This is huge. Note: If you use this strategy, you should already be finishing the section with ample extra time to spare. Otherwise, you might run out of time before you have the chance to bubble in the answer choices all at once. 5 minutes before the section ends, make sure you bubble in the answers you already have. Strategy 7: Eliminate Careless Mistakes Careless mistakes are one of the most frustrating types of errors to make, and nearly everyone makes them, especially on Math. You know the underlying material, you know how to solve the question, and you're feeling good. But then you grade the quiz, and you find a careless mistake. Oops- the question asked for the perimeter of the circle and not the area, which is what you calculated. These types of errors are the most costly and frustrating. You've already put in a ton of work to master the underlying material, and here a question has tricked you into losing a point. This is why finishing the test early, like I mention above, is so helpful. You get extra time to take a breather and double-check your answers. If you find that careless mistakes are a recurring problem for you, here are some strategies to get rid of them: In the question, underline what the question is specifically asking you to solve for. It's so easy for the SAT to trick you into solving the wrong thing. If you're solving for a particular value (like length, area, etc), write the units down in the scratch space. Be careful with calculator entry. A missing parentheses makes a big difference. "4 + 9 / 2" is completely different from "(4 + 9) / 2" Avoid bubbling errors by using the Quick Tip above. Here's an example: This question is asking us to solve for y + z. Not x, y, or any other combination of variables. To make sure I remember this, I underline y + z, and I also write "y + z = ?" in the work space so that I remember what I'm solving for. You can bet that in many answer choices, the SAT will have trap answers for other things you can solve for, like x. (This one happens not to, but it's very common). Memorize the SAT Math Formulas. Strategy 8: Memorize the Formulas and Common Math Facts If you're still flipping to the front of the section to look at the math formulas, you haven't gotten to understand SAT Math well enough yet. Not only does this cost you time, it also indicates that you haven't practiced enough with SAT Math to have the required formulas come to you fluidly. Memorize the formulas at the front of the section and these common math facts: calculating slope from two points (rise over run) remainder when dividing a polynomial common right triangles: by angles 45-45-90 (1-1-√2) 30-60-90 (1-2-√3) by sides 3-4-5 5-12-13 formula forvolumes, surface areas We have a complete list of SAT Math formulas here. Strategy 9: Don't Overly Depend on the Calculator As you likely already know, Section 3 is a Math section forbidding the use of calculator, with 20 questions. Section 4 is a Math section that allows calculator, with 38 questions. The calculator is really useful for certain questions that require complex calculations, like multiplying decimals together or taking square roots of weird numbers. However, in many other situations, it's too much of a crutch, and it can make you soft. Learning to solve questions without the use of a calculator will strengthen your math intuition and force you to understand the underlying math, rather than relying on a calculator. Actually, every question on the SAT is solvable without a calculator. Because the College Board cares a lot about equality, it doesn't want to give an unfair advantage to students who have grown up with graphing calculators compared to students who can't afford them or never used them in school. So it designs questions that don't require advanced calculators to solve. Practically, this is important because some of the no-calculator questions are solvable WITH a calculator, and you need to wean yourself off of the calc. Here's an example: Yes- you can solve this by plugging it into your graphing calculator's systems of equations tool. But this appears on the no calculator section, so you have to get used to solving this with pen and paper. The second reason to depend less on the calculator is because solving without a calculator is actually faster in many cases. Here's an example: The calculator way to solve this would be to solve for the quadratic formula, 0 = -4.9 t2 + 25t. You can plug it in and the calculator will spit out two values for t. How I would naturally approach is to factor first: 0 = t (-4.9t + 25) Obviously t = 0 is one solution, but the other solution is pretty easy to find too.I don't even need to use the calculator- I know 4.9 is close to 5, so I can see that t is close to 5. This is answer D. For me, the second way is faster and feels more robust than the first. I know I've solved for t definitively, and I'm confident in my answer choice. Whereas if I used a calculator, I don't have a "feel" for the solution- I'm purely trusting the calculator and what I entered into the calculator as correct. Now, when I doublecheck (Strategy 6), I might solve it a different way by plugging in the answer choices. I'll try plugging in answer choices C and D, and it'll be clear that Dis the better answer. But this is reserved for answer checking, rather than the first time I solve it. Being able to solve SAT Math questions without a calculator will train your SAT Math skills more rigorously. This is important when you're aiming for a perfect math score. Strategy 10: Keep a Calm Mind During the Test, No Matter What Now you know what it takes to achieve perfection on SAT Math. You know that it's critical to get a perfect raw score, or you might score a 780. This makes a lot of students freak out during the test. "I can't solve this question...my 800 is gone...I'm getting more nervous and I have to skip the next question too..." You can see how quickly you can unravel like this. Before you know it, you're scoring way worse than you ever did on a practice test. You need to learn to be mentally strong, like an athlete on game day. Yes, you might have to skip a question on the first pass through. Maybe even two in a row. But you've practiced hard up to this point. You know this stuff, and you'll come back to those questions and get it later. You need to keep up a positive mindset during the test, or you'll crumble. And in the worst case, maybe you won't get an 800. But if you've consistently been getting 800's on the practice tests, you likely won't go much lower than 750- and that's still really good. Recap: How to Get a Perfect SAT Math Score Those are the main strategies I have for you to improve your SAT math score to an 800. If you're scoring above a 600 right now, with hard work and smart studying, you can raise it to a perfect SAT Math score. Notice that I didn't actually teach you that much math content. I didn't point to any specific math solutions that will instantly raise your score. That's because these one-size-fits-all, guaranteed strategies don't really exist. (And anyone who tells you this is deceiving you). Every student is different. Instead, you need to understand where you're falling short, and drill those weaknesses continuously. You also need to be thoughtful about your mistakes and leave no mistake ignored. If you want to go back and review any strategies, here are quick links to them: Strategy 1: Understand Your High Level Weakness: Content or Time Management Strategy 2:Do a Ton of Practice, and Understand Every Single Mistake Strategy 3:If You Have Math Content Gaps, Be Ruthless About Filling Them Strategy 4:If You Miss a Question, Re-Solve It First Strategy 5: Master Every SAT Math Skill- Even the Rare Ones Strategy 6: Finish With Extra Time and Double Check Strategy 7: Eliminate Careless Mistakes Strategy 8: Memorize the Formulas and Common Math Facts Strategy 9: Don't Overly Depend on the Calculator Strategy 10: Keep a Calm Mind During the Test, No Matter What Keep reading for more resources on how to boost your SAT score. What's Next? We have a lot more useful guides to raise your SAT score. Read our complete guide to a perfect SAT score, written by me, a perfect scorer. Are you aiming for a top school like Harvard or the Ivy Leagues? 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